Abba Yusuf: Judge who tried to stop Sanusi’s reinstatement is in the US

Abba Yusuf, governor of Kano, says he will report the judge who tried to stop the reinstatement of Muhammadu Sanusi as Emir. 

On Thursday, the state house of assembly passed the amended Kano State Emirate Council (Repeal) Bill 2024. Afterwards, the bill was signed into law by the governor.

The law repealed the 2019 version, which balkanised the Kano emirate into five jurisdictions and was relied upon to depose Sanusi as Emir in 2020.

Hours later, a federal high court in Kano ordered the state government not to enforce the new law.

Ruling in a suit filed by Aminu Babba Dan Agundi, Mohammed Liman, the judge, asked the defendants to “suspend” and “not give effect to the Kano State Emirate Council (Repeal) Law, 2024 as they affect all offices and institutions of the Emirate Council created pursuant to the provisions of the Kano State Emirate Council Law, 2019”.

Speaking after the reinstatement of Sanusi on Friday, the governor said the judge who issued the order did so from the United States. 

“The person that issued the court order was in America but he is ordering us to stop what we are doing,” Yusuf said. 

“This issue of abuse I must present before the governors’ forum so that we can tackle it accordingly. 

“We are agents of following due process, that’s why we did what we did openly before everybody. Those that are meant to maintain that rule of law must follow that also.”